as in pile
a quantity of wood heaped together for burning a dead body
a funeral pyre
Related Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of pyre
At Mount Hora, archaeologists discovered the oldest human cremation in Africa and the oldest in situ adult pyre in the world.
—
Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 4 Jan. 2026
In the dry California hills, an intentional community tries to build a pyre for one of its own, and, in the complex and mendacious aftermath, may end up sort of burning down the nation-state.
—Helen Shaw, New Yorker, 14 Dec. 2025
Her idea was expressed through a reenactment of the funeral of Achilles from the perspective of the flowers growing near his funeral pyre.
—Literary Hub, 12 Sep. 2025
Now it has been relegated to the realm of wistful articles, added to the glowing funeral pyre of cultural entities—breakfast cereals, bar soap, chain restaurants, and so forth—that Millennials have been accused of abandoning.
—Jordan Michelman, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pyre
Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 4 Jan. 2026
In the dry California hills, an intentional community tries to build a pyre for one of its own, and, in the complex and mendacious aftermath, may end up sort of burning down the nation-state.
—Helen Shaw, New Yorker, 14 Dec. 2025
Her idea was expressed through a reenactment of the funeral of Achilles from the perspective of the flowers growing near his funeral pyre.
—Literary Hub, 12 Sep. 2025
Now it has been relegated to the realm of wistful articles, added to the glowing funeral pyre of cultural entities—breakfast cereals, bar soap, chain restaurants, and so forth—that Millennials have been accused of abandoning.
—Jordan Michelman, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pyre
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pyre
Noun
-
With Monday evening performances canceled and piles of snow keeping pedestrians and drivers at bay, total grosses fell to $26,036,589 for the week ending March 1, down from $32M the previous week.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
3 Mar. 2026
-
Reduce clutter by addressing any piles of paper and looking through bathroom products for expired or unused items.—
Sarah Lyon,
The Spruce,
3 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Compare it to Nazi Germany, which went from an empire that nearly took over the world to a heap of ruins in six years.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
3 Mar. 2026
-
The contest was quickly put together by the Hope Street Merchants Association, the Summit Neighborhood Association and Mount Hope Community Center as a fun community event to take advantage of the heaps of snow left over from the historic Blizzard of 2026.—
Savana Dunning,
The Providence Journal,
28 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Yet prosecutors believe Knox siphoned money away from those contracts to take a family trip to Disneyland, buy subscriptions to streaming services and pay off stacks of personal credit card bills, among other expenses.—
Blake Nelson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
25 Feb. 2026
-
In response, many companies are opting to acquire rather than build across the technology stack.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
25 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The Sterling Community Center sits where the high school used to, up a hill from a football field where over a dozen Black middle and high school students who are part of a mentorship/STEM program ran drills with their coaches the Sunday prior to Jackson lying in state at the State House.—
Darcel Rockett,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Mar. 2026
-
Competitors often cite the hills of west Little Rock as the highlight and most challenging part of the marathon due to the gain in elevation and the scenery that comes with it.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
1 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The tale involves a man who attempts to murder his wife while the two are out hiking on a mountain.—
Charles Trepany,
USA Today,
28 Feb. 2026
-
There are 130 monitoring stations across the Sierra Nevada mountains that provide electronic readings.—
Ian James,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pyre.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pyre. Accessed 5 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
